Camus's Imagery

Camus's imagery in this novel is fantastic. For example, "There was the same dazzling red glare. The sea gasped for air with each shallow, stifled little wave that broke on the sand. I was walking slowly toward the rocks and I could feel me forehead swelling under the sun. All that heat was pressing down on me and making it hard for me to go on. And every time I felt a blast of it's hot breath strike my face, I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists in my trouser pockets, and strained every nerve in order to overcome the sun and the thick drunkenness it was spilling over me. With every blade of light that it was spilling over me. With every blade of light that flashed off the sand, from a bleached shell or a piece of broken glass, my jaws tightened."

More from The Stranger

Salamano, a neighbor of Meursault's, had a strange relationship with his dog. They were inseparable, and yet Salamano often cursed the animal's constant presence. When the dog ran away, Salamano was distraught because the dog had been his companion since his wife died. When describing the dog, Salamano said, "And, you didn't know him before he got sick. His coat was the best thing about him." To quote the book, "Every night and every morning before the dog hat gotten that skin disease, Salamano rubbed him with ointment. But according to him, the dog's real sickness was old age, and there's no cure for old age." I absolutely love that statement: "There is no cure for old age."

The Stranger

The Stranger was written by Camus in 1946. I'm through Part I of the story, and I'm finding it to be a little strange; I can't explain why though. Well, it might be because it's a stream of conscience novel, thus the order of events is a little strange.

The main character, Meursault, is a bit odd; and I think someone ought to teach him how to talk to women. Following are example of why:

"A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn't mean anything, but I didn't think so."

"Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn't make any difference to me [...]."

First of all, you should never be so indifferent towards women. Additionally, if he doesn't love her and doesn't care to marry her, then why is he with her?

Infatuations with Prufrock

I adore many phrases from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"; following is the list of worthy (or what I think are worthy) quotations:

"Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep."

"There will be a time to murder and create"

"Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.:

"I have measured my life with coffee spoons;"

And finally, I am completely infatuated with the final stanza:

"We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea- girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown."

Prufrock

Ok... first of all, I would like to announce that I think "Prufrock" is incredibly amusing to say.

Now, to get serious. T.S. Eliot published "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" in 1917. It is 130 lines broken up in 23 stanzas... yes it is a long poem... but it is definitely worth reading.

Eliot employs fascinating imagery with phrases such as:

"Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And of sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells"

At first, the way Eliot manipulated the sentences to make them rhyme seemed childish. However, I believe there is more to it. I guess I shall see during Thursday's discussion of Prufrock.

Harmony

"It is a delightful harmony when going and saying go together"-- Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533-1592)